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Topic: Naming Names (Read 53942 times)

I have a question that I didn't see (maybe I misssed it) in the forum rules:

What is the rule regarding mentioning the exact name of a store/business in a thread? Is it never allowed, allowed only in certain circumstances (such as when something unique to that business is part of the discussion), or okay across the board?

I think people do it for a number of reasons: 1) to avoid triggering ads, 2) if they're going to relate a negative experience and don't want to put the store's name in their post and end up accused of libel or something, or 3) to avoid a digression in the thread where posters end up discussing the store instead of the etiquette issue. My preference is to either use the store's name or keep it generic ("I was at the grocery store" "I was at a big box electronics store") unless the specific store is central to the story, but I understand why people try to be specific -- nearly everyone (in North America) knows what kind of store Target is and what you can generally find there, so it's easier than trying to explain what kind of store you were at, and it sometimes makes your story more interesting if you can include specific details instead of generic.

I don't think there's any stated board policy one way or the other, though.

I think people do it for a number of reasons: 1) to avoid triggering ads,

Here's my (tangential) question, then: Why are people here so vigilant about ads? The answer is probably obvious, but I can't come up with one that doesn't seem a little odd to me. I've never seen another message board in which the posters were so concerned about the banner ads. The "L word" has been censored because of ads, and other words--like "boobs" and "sex"--posters censor on their own, with stuff like "bewbs" and "s3x." I'm sure it has something to do with triggering an ad that offends someone's sensibilities, but can't people just look away? Not click on an ad that offends them? And what would be offensive about an ad for Target or Starbucks showing up in a thread that mentions them? And would the banner ads here really be that offensive--doesn't the site owner have some control over what type of ads can run here?

I'm not angry or anything (although "bewbs" drives me completely insane), just really curious; I've probably given it more thought than it deserves. (And I'm now afraid that this post will trigger the offensive ad to top all offensive ads.)

To be perfectly honest, my mermaid experience is somewhat limited, but all the mermaids I've ever seen (okay, the Disney one and the one there's the statue of in Copenhagen) have just one tail.

One wonders if Aqua-Starbuck has a forked tail from some weird caffeine mutation.

As a barista, I have to do it.

The woman in our logo is not a mermaid. She's actually a depiction of the Norse Siren, a mythical creature that lured ships to their demise with her song. In 16th century Norse depictions, she had two tails. Starbucks uses the Siren for a lot of it's in-house communications. For instance, the planning sheets that spell out merchandise layouts are called "Siren's Eye"s.

Back on topic, I can't stand the cutesy "no naming" and I have to resist the urge to purposely name the store in every thread I see it in.